Branded
by XxTwistedThornxX
Summary: His fingertips danced over the words he had cursed and despised for so long, now treasuring and worshipping each letter and syllable as though they were some rare, beautiful poem composed for his eyes only.
1. Chapter 1

**I've started to write game reviews for (more info on my profile.) It's still a new website but if you could just check it out and maybe spread the word about it the rest of the staff and I would really appreciate it. I'll still love you if you don't, but I love the ones who at least go look at the site more ;)  
Self-promotion aside, this was a random little idea that popped into my head. I wasn't sure if I should use Vizyn or another Lone Wanderer…but I figured she was a well-known figure with my writing and honestly, I can't see Charon with any of my other wanderers anymore.**

Charon shook his head in disbelief, unable to comprehend the string of events that had so suddenly unfolded. He had learned over the years that things could go from calm to rough in the blink of an eye. In two, things could go from rough to catastrophic. But, for all his knowledge, in the expansive repertoire of "things gone wrong" he'd acquired over the years, he never would have imagined himself in this current situation.

Vizyn kneeled before him, hands bound behind her back with a leather belt. Her pistol rested in the dust several feet away and her face was stained with tears. A shotgun was aimed at her head.

_His _shotgun.

Charon moved to point the weapon away, but a masculine chuckle brought him to a halt. The ghoul glanced over his shoulder, a man dressed in a dapper pre-war suit held his contract up for inspection. Charon's blood turned to ice.

"Viv…"

"Don't speak," the man commanded. Charon snarled and opened his mouth, but no noise came out. He had no choice but to obey. The man paced behind him, reading the document over and murmuring to himself. Charon looked back down to his smoothskin, meeting her wide, sapphire stare.

Vizyn pulled her pink bottom lip between her teeth, trying to stop her sobs as her gaze pleaded with him silently. She glanced nervously from his gun to his new employer, her hands straining behind her back to be rid of her binds.

The man chuckled darkly, folding up Charon's contract and slipping it into his suit. "Kill her," he commanded.

Charon felt his hands begin to shake uncontrollably and Vizyn gasped, shooting her eyes up to meet his. Charon couldn't control his arms; they rose on their own accord and pressed the gun against Vizyn's forehead.

"I love you," she whimpered, eyes fluttering shut in resignation. "I forgive you, I love you."

Charon pulled the trigger.

* * *

Charon awoke with a start, startling the hound sleeping at the foot of the bed to attention. Dogmeat leapt to his feet and growled, surveying the bedroom for enemies before the hair bristling on his neck softened and he turned to his master with a confused cock of his head.

Vizyn groaned, rubbing her eye with her fist and pouting. "Wha's goin' on?" She slurred. Charon looked down at the smoothskin beside him, panic still running rampant in his chest.

"My contract…where is my contract?"

"Huh?" Vizyn arched an eyebrow at him and ran a hand through her tangled blonde locks. She yawned and hummed in contemplation, "It should be in the lockbox."

Charon bolted from the bed, pulling open the bottom drawer of the filing cabinet and jerking the lockbox out from its seclusion. He hastily unlocked it and ripped the lid open, sighing in relief when he saw the familiar yellowed document neatly folded at the bottom.

Dogmeat huffed and hopped onto the bed. Vizyn scratched his ears idly, watching Charon relock the box and tuck it away. He slipped back underneath the sheets and pulled Vizyn against his chest.

Vizyn frowned, feeling the rapid palpitations of her ghoul's heart against her cheek. She wrapped her arms around his middle and planted soft kisses along his mangled skin. "Are you alright, big guy?"

"Yeah," he answered into her hair, "Don't worry about it."

"Are you sure?"

Charon tilted her chin up and pressed a chaste kiss to her lips. "Positive. It's nothing. Let's just get back to sleep."

"If you say so," Vizyn yawned, snuggling into Charon's embrace.

Charon watched her sleep with a frown, trying to get the image of her horror-filled eyes out of his mind.

* * *

"I don't know, he's just been acting so weird lately," Vizyn sighed, taking a swig from her Nuka-cola bottle. Gob set his cleaning cloth aside and leaned over to pat the smoothskin's arm comfortingly.

"I'm sure he just has a lot on his mind," The ghoul assured her.

"How's his performance?" Nova piped up, stepping out from the backroom with her jacket tied around her waist. Vizyn gagged on her drink.

"Nova, come on," Gob admonished. Nova hopped over the bar to sit on the stool next to Vizyn and arched a delicate eyebrow.

"What? It's an honest question!" She wrapped an arm around Vizyn's shoulder, pulling her in close. "You see, baby, men feel inadequate when they can't get it up. They'll act anxious and paranoid because it gives them something to obsess over other than their junk. Take Gob for example, this one time—"

"Charon is _fine_ in that department," Vizyn interrupted with a fierce blush, she noticed Gob give her a thankful look and smiled weakly. Nova huffed and blew a strand of ginger hair out of her eyes.

"Well, I don't know then."

Vizyn sighed and traced the rim of the cola bottle with her finger. "He's just more quiet than usual—kind of like how he was when we first met," she explained, "Then, at nighttime, he always finds his contract. He never touches it, but he stares at it for a really long time before he comes to bed."

Vizyn bit her lip and leaned into Nova's shoulder, "He's never even mentioned the contract for two years, not since I locked it away. For him to suddenly want it overnight…" She looked to her friends pleadingly. "You don't think he wants to leave me, do you? To take the contract and find someone else?"

Nova frowned and embraced the girl tightly.

"I'm sure that's not the case, Sugarbomb," she cooed, "Charon loves you."

"I'm with Nova, kid," Gob smiled slightly, taking the empty bottle from Vizyn's trembling hands. "You didn't see him when we thought you were, well, when you _were_ gone. I've seen a lot of sorry customers, but never someone who looked as lost as he did."

Nova nodded once and pet the young girl's hair gently, "Just talk to him, honey. If you ask, I'm sure he'll tell you. Hell, he _has _to tell you."

"What if that's the problem?" Vizyn whispered. She covered her face with her hands and sniffled, "All this time, Charon's been thinking for himself. But isn't that only because I _told_ him to do it? What if everything was all because of his contract? I mean, I kissed him first, I told him I loved him, what if he's just been going along with it because his stupid contract says he has to?"

"Two years is a long time to pretend, honey," Nova tried to console the girl who had begun to weep in her arms. She frowned up at Gob who looked just as helpless as she did.

"Exactly! So why not take the contract and go?"

"Hush now, baby. You know that's not true at all."

"But, it's the only thing I can think of," Vizyn protested, "Do you have a better idea?"

Gob shook his head with a stern frown and walked around the counter to kneel in front of the crying young woman.

"There's a problem with your theory, Vivi," He said, placing his rough hands over hers. "You never asked or told Charon to tell you he loved you, right?" Vizyn thought for a moment, then, shook her head in the negative. Gob grinned and squeezed her hands reassuringly, "Now look at how Charon treated Ahzrukhal, sure he never talked back but you could always see just how badly he wanted to kill the bastard. Knowing how he looks at you, do you really think he's acting?" Gob smirked, "That he has the _patience_ for acting?"

Vizyn giggled slightly and shook her head. Nova smiled and stroked the ghoul's cheek.

"See? Gobbie knows what he's talking about," Nova kissed the top of Vizyn's head and gave her one final squeeze. "Now, go on. If he does it again, just ask him about it. I'm sure it's nothing."

Vizyn nodded once and stood, "Thanks…I'm sorry, I feel so stupid."

"Don't be sorry, kid," Gob ruffled her hair beneath her hat and smirked at her annoyed squeak, "Just make sure you get it all sorted out."

Vizyn nodded, fixed her cap and gave Gob a quick hug before darting outside the saloon. Gob and Nova watched her go with soft smiles before the ghoul turned and frowned at the ex-whore.

"'Take Gob for instance?'"

Nova grinned, "That's going to haunt you all day, isn't it?"


	2. Chapter 2

**This was supposed to be a one-shot…then my brain decided to play a practical joke on me…**

Charon opened the lockbox and sighed. It was still there, he reassured himself, in the same place beneath their emergency stash of caps and medical supplies. He was being ridiculous, a nightmare shouldn't have shaken him so badly, but he _knew _it was more than a nightmare. It was a possibility, a very _real _possibility that terrified him more than anything else in the world.

He closed the box and locked it tight, replacing it in the file cabinet and locking the drawer for good measure. He felt a tingle on the side of his face and looked toward the bed where Vizyn lay watching him. She absently stroked Dogmeat's fur, blonde hair disheveled and splayed wildly over her shoulders. A familiar warmth flooded through him. He smiled when Dogmeat gave her a sloppy lick and she whined in protest, wiping her cheek with the back of her hand.

She was beautiful.

"_I love you," she whimpered, eyes fluttering shut in resignation. "I forgive you, I love you."  
_

Charon shook his head with a slight growl and stood, shooing Dogmeat from the bed before taking his place beside his smoothskin. Vizyn immediately nestled against his chest, sighing contentedly when his arms wrapped around her.

"Charon, can I ask you something?"

"You just did," He murmured into her hair with a smirk. Vizyn giggled, relieved to hear the banter. She moved to meet his eyes, purring as his lips brushed against hers.

"Another thing then," She murmured against his lips. Charon's hands trailed gently down her back, brushing her rear and caressing her thighs, coaxing a leg to hook around his waist. This was the Charon she had missed for the past week, and she was determined to never be rid of him again.

"Anything," Charon tilted her head back, peppering kisses down her throat and Vizyn almost lost her train of thought.

"Why…mmm…why are you so caught up in your contract all of a sudden?"

The ghoul froze for a moment, then, raised his head from Vizyn's collarbone with a sigh.

"It's foolish," he said at last. Vizyn shook her head, eyes wide as though shocked he would say such a thing.

"Not to me. Please, I'm not going to make you tell me, but I'd like to know what's bothering you. All week you've been acting weird."

Charon grimaced, he hadn't meant to seem standoffish but he should have known that Vizyn would pick up that something was wrong. He sighed and lightly brushed her cheek with his knuckles.

"I've just had this thought stuck in my head," he said. Vizyn remained focused on him, even when it seemed like he'd just leave it at that. Eventually, he gave in and explained the dream that had been tormenting him, not sparing her the slightest detail. She listened intently to every word, not making a sound. "It's a very real possibility, Viv," Charon went on to explain. "Anyone could get their hands on it, and I'd have no choice but to follow them. That's the last thing I want."

Vizyn laughed.

Charon blinked, taken aback by her sudden outburst, confused and embarrassed. She seemed to feel him stiffen, but she couldn't stop her giggles. She resorted to wrapping her arms around him to keep him pinned until she could contain herself.

"I'm sorry, I'm not laughing because it's funny," she hastily explained. "It's just: earlier I thought it was because you wanted to leave me. But, it turns out it's because you want to stay with me. I'm relieved."

Charon frowned, "Why would I want to leave you?" When Vizyn shrugged, Charon pulled her into a tight embrace. "I love you, Viv. I hope you know that."

"I do," Vizyn sighed, burying her face in his chest. "I love you, too."

* * *

Ideas were a dangerous thing. They built empires and destroyed them in the same breath. They were more infectious than a plague and lasted long after the source's death.

Vizyn was relieved that Charon's strange behavior wasn't based on the desire to be rid of her. But, it opened up a whole new door for worry. He was right, she realized, so long as he had a contract, someone could steal it. She couldn't destroy it; in the first paragraph it stated that Charon must kill anyone who would try to mutilate the old document.

So instead, she found herself mimicking Charon's compulsive behavior, checking the drawer to make sure it was still locked tight whenever she made to leave to bedroom. There had to be something she could do to ensure the contract's safety, even in Megaton things went "missing" from homes and Vizyn thought she would surely die if she and Charon returned from a visit to Underworld to find the lockbox gone.

She sighed and closed her Grognak comic book, unable to focus on the half-dressed barbarian swinging around his massive axe. She rested her head against the back of the pink armchair and blew her bangs out of her face.

"You sure you don't want to go to Gob's while I'm gone?" Charon asked, strapping his gun to his back.

"Maybe later," Vizyn pouted, "have fun. Out there. On the wall. Shooting things. Without me."

Charon chuckled and kissed Vizyn's forehead.

"Stockholm needs a break sometime, smoothskin. I'll be back later tonight."

"All day," Vizyn continued to drone. Charon smirked and shook his head, turning for the front door as a knock echoed through the living room. "I got it!" Suddenly full of energy, Vizyn dashed for the door, sticking her tongue out at Charon when she touched the knob before he did. She twisted the lock and pulled the handle, blinking slightly at the rush of morning sunlight flooding through the doorframe.

"Well good morning, Sunshine," a familiar voice greeted. Charon groaned.

"Butch!" Vizyn threw her arms around the man's neck. "It's great to see you!"

"You too, Sunshine," Butch looked to Charon and nodded once, "Hey there, Cheryl."

Charon growled and Butch shifted, "Uh…Charon."

"Stop being such a jerk, you just got here," Vizyn reprimanded, releasing her old schoolmate. Charon moved for the door and sighed.

"I see you'll have company after all," he grumbled, "Though far from preferable."

"Yo, pal, I'm right here!"

"I'll see you later, Viv," Charon bent down and kissed her once before pushing past the obnoxious smoothskin-boy, Dogmeat trailing close behind him. Butch watched him walk off, wrinkling his nose.

"Y'know, I ain't never going to get used to that."

Vizyn rolled her eyes, "So, what are you doing here?"

"Well, Rivet City was getting to be a bit too small for me. I decided to take my barber shop on the road and figured Megaton would be as good a place as any to start. Care to be my first customer? I'll do it for free, for old time's sake."

Vizyn grinned and lead him into the living room, "What's the catch?"

"I need a place to crash."

Vizyn hummed in thought for a moment, her forefinger tapping her lips gently.

"I could ask Charon about you staying in our spare room, but we only have a couch in there. If not, I can bring you over to Gob's. He and Nova might give you a discount since we're friends."

"Aw shucks, Sunshine," Butch grinned, throwing his arm around Vizyn's shoulders with enough force to make her stumble, "you're a real pal."

"Get off," Vizyn giggled, trying to regain her balance, "you smell!"

"It's just the jacket," Butch defended, "my man-stink is nothing but pleasant."

Vizyn pushed him away, shaking her head. Butch sighed and unzipped the cracked leather jacket, slipping it down his toned, sun-kissed arms. Vizyn blinked and cocked her head to one-side, staring at his bicep.

There was something there, painted on the skin..._In_ the skin, she realized. A woman, dressed in blue and white robes looked demurely down at her clasped hands. What appeared to be rays of light fanned out behind her. It was beautiful, and vaguely familiar. Vizyn's brow furrowed in contemplation and she gasped. It looked like the mural of the Virgin Mary they'd had down in the Vault chapel.

But how?

"Butch, what is that?" Vizyn asked, pointing at the portrait. Butch hummed in question and followed her finger, he grinned.

"Oh yeah! You like my ink?"

"Ink?"

Butch nodded and flexed, stretching the virgin mother to disproportion, "Yeah, there was this guy in Rivet City—said he used to be a raider or some bullshit like that. Anyway, he taught me how to do it. He said that these were pretty popular before the bombs fell, though how would he know, right? I just think it makes me look bad-ass."

"Did you draw it?" Vizyn hesitantly reached out a finger and touched it, shocked when the ink didn't smudge under her finger.

"Nah, not this one, He did it for me. Hurt like a bitch, but worth it, don't you think?"

"Why'd you get this though? Why not a snake or something?"

Butch scoffed, "The Tunnel Snakes are old news, Sunshine," he shrugged and looked at the tattoo, "I miss the vault sometimes, y'know? But, after all this time out here, I barely remember a thing about it. I remember this, though. I used to sleep underneath it when ma got too drunk to be around."

Vizyn frowned and nodded softly.

"Does it wash off?"

"Nope, it's as permanent as my good-looks and charm. You want one, Sunshine?"

Vizyn shook her head, "No, I don't think—" she paused. "Butch, can you get _anything_ inked?"

"Sure, as long as the person doing it knows how to draw it."

"How long does it take?"

Butch arched an eyebrow at her, he hadn't expected her to actually consider it. "Depends on how big it is. It can take a few minutes or a few hours. But, I'm telling you, Sunshine, it hurts."

Vizyn looked up at him, her face stern, "But it's worth it, right?"

Butch hesitantly nodded and Vizyn pushed her hat forward, lower lip jutting out determinedly.

_Let's do this before I chicken out…_

**Next chapter is smutty, don't say there was no warning. Also, I meant to upload the story based off the "Trouble on the Homefront" mission but...this got done first. Oh well.**_  
_


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's chapter 3, I had to do a bit of research on getting tattoos...and got a lot of conflicting reports so I just had to guess. Just a heads-up, I will be editing my past Sunshine series stories, mostly just fixes for typos, grammar, etc. but some will have extra scenes or be completely revamped (Such as "Perfect") They will be edited in order of the Trilogy (Sunshine, The Ghost of You, and Lazarus), then Perfec. You Know What They Say, Hey Mambo! and Sugar Bombs were cracky stories, so I'm probably keeping them the way they are. Also, anyone else watch Fallout: NukaBreak on youtube? Got a major thing for Ben, just saying.**

Charon sighed and marched up the ramp towards home. Watch was a boring job, but not too different from when he was a bouncer in "The 9th Circle." Watching was something Charon had become a master at, so when Lucas Simms approached him with the offer of being Stockholm's relief—along with the mention of 20 caps by the hour—Charon accepted. Still, it was as entertaining as bouncing the bar, less so since there were no rowdy ghouls to throw out on their asses. From the early morning to sunset, the only threat to approach the walls was a small company of mutated ants. Charon took out their antennae and watched them mutilate each other, but that was the only amusement he'd had all day.

At least the pay was decent. Charon counted out the caps again—not that he expected Simms to cheat him, it just felt nice to actually be paid for his services—an hourly wage wasn't something you got used to after centuries of being a slave.

With a proud smirk, he pocketed the caps and stepped into the shack. The living room was dimly lit, but all was quiet. Charon figured Vizyn and Butch had gone over to Gob's to catch up. He went upstairs and pulled the lockbox from the cabinet, pulling out the caps he earned for the day to place them with the rest of their savings. But, when he lifted the lid his heart dropped into his stomach.

The caps and medical supplies were accounted for, but there was no hint of yellow peeking from beneath. Charon hastily moved the other items around, searching frantically but he only discovered what he already knew.

The contract was gone.

The world around him seemed to fade to black, everything he ever feared was becoming a reality. It was gone, lost, taken. Who had it? What were they doing with it? Were they waiting for him?

Dogmeat sniffed at him in question and Charon turned on the hound.

"Find it," He ordered, "It has to be around here somewhere."

Dogmeat barked and began sniffing around the room, but he didn't make any indication that there were any foreign scents in the bedroom. Charon ripped open the other drawers, searched the desk and under the bed, anywhere the piece of paper could have drifted, but found nothing.

Downstairs, the door clicked shut. Charon hurried out of the bedroom and was greeted by Vizyn heading for the stairs. Her skin looked paler and her eyes slightly dazed, but when she saw him she smiled brightly.

"Oh, you beat me here!" She hurried up the rest of the steps and wrapped her arms around his middle, "Sorry, I thought you'd be home a bit later…are you ok?"

"It's gone," His voice was hollow in his eardrums, "the contract is missing."

Vizyn's confused expression evaporated and she gasped.

"Oh! No, no it's not!" She hurriedly assured him, reaching into her pocket to pull out the weathered paper. Relief flooded through the ghoul at the sight of it, never thinking he'd be so happy to see the accursed thing. "Sorry, I needed it."

"You needed it? What in the hell could you need it for?"

Vizyn winced at his harsh tone, gently touching his arm to try and calm him down before continuing, "I got an idea...I just hope it works."

"You took it out of the lockbox because you had an idea? Was it to give me a fucking heart attack?"

"Can I go sit down?" Vizyn asked timidly, "Nova gave me some Med-X and it's kind of making my head fuzzy."

"Med-X?" Charon's eyes widened and he immediately forgot about the contract, holding Vizyn still and checking her over, "What happened? Are you hurt?"

"Not exactly…can I just get to bed?"

Charon picked her up and Vizyn winced.

"Tell me everything," Charon growled, gently laying her on the bed. His eyes narrowed when she gasped and rolled onto her side.

"Well, you got me thinking about that dream you had," she began, pushing herself up to sit on the mattress. She leaned down to untie her boots, but when he saw her wince again, Charon waved his hand at her, kneeling down in front of the bed to unlace them himself. After a small noise of protest, she continued, "I got kind of worried, too. I don't want you taken away from me, and I wish that was enough. I've been trying to think of a way to keep the contract safe for good, but I couldn't think of anything."

Charon moved to the other boot, not saying a word. Vizyn watched him for a moment, as though weighing what she should say, "So, then Butch showed up this morning. He had this thing on his arm, he called it an 'ink' and it gave me the idea."

"An 'ink'?" Charon asked, moving to sit beside her and meet her eyes with his. It was a word from centuries ago, but one that still had some meaning. She couldn't mean…?

Vizyn hesitated for a moment before tugging the zipper of her leather vest down to her navel. She shrugged it off and pulled the hem of her off-white tank top over her head, folding her arms across her bare chest. Before Charon's stare could linger too long, she turned and pulled her wheat-blonde waves over her shoulder, revealing her petite back to his wandering gaze.

What Charon saw made him speechless. Words were written into her pale flesh, the skin surrounding the black ink was red and irritated but he could read paragraph after paragraph unhindered. It was his contract, flawlessly recreated and printed permanently into his smoothskin's flesh. He cautiously reached out a hand and gently trailed his rough fingers along the words, hearing her hiss.

"It hurt a lot when he was putting it on," she confessed, "Now, it just kind of stings and itches unless I stretch my back out…then it hurts again." Charon remained silent and Vizyn bit her bottom lip, shivering at the feather-light touches caressing the back of her spine. "Charon, please say something."

"I don't have any words, Viv. This is…The fact that you would do this…" The ghoul shook his head, "Come here."

Vizyn turned to face him and Charon captured her lips in a deep, searing kiss.

"I love you," he growled.

"I love you, too," Vizyn sighed as he began to kiss down her jaw and neck, "More than anything."

Charon's hands ran up and down her back as his mouth ravished her flesh. His fingertips danced over the words he had cursed and despised for so long, now treasuring and worshipping each letter and syllable as though they were some rare, beautiful poem composed for his eyes only.

"You do know that you can never be rid of me now, don't you?" He asked, tangling his fingers in her hair as his other hand brushed up her bare stomach. Vizyn smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him lightly and resting her forehead against his.

"That's the plan, big guy."

Dogmeat stared at his masters and barked loudly, head titled to one side.

Vizyn blushed and covered herself, as though the dog had the decency to be embarrassed at seeing her bare-chested. Charon glanced over his shoulder and narrowed his eyes.

"Get!" He ordered, pointing for the door. Dogmeat whined and pawed at the floor, his ears flat against his head and tail tucked between his legs. Charon scowled and Dogmeat barked once more, whimpering and glancing out to the stairs and back with a cock of his head. "What's your problem, mutt?" Charon growled.

Vizyn looked over her ghoul's shoulder at the dog and gasped.

"Oh, he must be starving! You've been out on the wall all day," she ducked under Charon's arm and scurried out the bedroom door with Dogmeat happily following at her heels, leaving Charon to stare dumbfounded after them.

After a few moments, Charon shook his head slowly.

"Cock-blocked by a damn mutt," He grumbled.

"What'd you say?" Vizyn called up from the kitchen below. Charon sighed and grabbed Vizyn's shirt from the floor, raising his voice.

"I said: Next time keep the damn door shut!"

Vizyn's giggle bubbled around him and a small smile teased the corners of his lips. He tossed the old tank top onto the bed and unzipped his leather jacket, peeling it from his hot skin with a grimace. The yellow paper of his contract caught his eye, abandoned on the floor near Vizyn's dusty boots. He bent down and picked it up, staring at the old words and faded ink. The paper felt as though it would crumble to dust in his hands at any moment, ancient and fragile. But, no longer a threat. No longer a liability. He felt an odd sense of peace as he stared down at the paper that had governed his life for centuries, like it could no longer ensnare him with its twisted words.

True, the essence of the paper was replicated word for word into his smoothskin's flesh. For as long as she lived, so would his contract. But, he wouldn't have to worry about it falling into unworthy hands. Vizyn was always important to him, but now she was truly the sole purpose of his existence. _She _was his contract now, his life, his will, his conscience.

Nothing could take that away anymore.

As his eyes roamed over the withered paper, satisfaction swelled in his chest. The document, once an empowered, youthful dictator was nothing more than an exhausted old man with no breath left to control. He gripped the top corners of the page in his fists, dropping to sit on the edge of the bed.

Vizyn padded back into the room, shutting the door behind her. Charon lifted his eyes to meet her as she glanced at the contract in his hands. For a few moments, she watched him expectantly. When it seemed as though he wouldn't go through with it, she sat down next to him, wrapping her soft arms around his bicep.

"You can do it," She encouraged softly. Charon paused for a moment, hesitant and suddenly fearful. What if it wasn't enough? Vizyn had gone through the pain of transcribing the contract into her skin, but that could all have been for nothing!

Vizyn's soft hand trailed down his arm to rest against his own. Charon met her eyes, knowing that his were betraying all the doubt that had sprung on him like a coiled snake. Vizyn pursed her lips, eyes narrowing in determination.

"I'm your contract now," She said. "You can only have one and you can't rip _me _in half. Go on."

Charon set his focus back on the paper in his hands. She was right. With a feral growl, Charon jerked his hands apart, hearing the old contract rip in half. The sound melded with the thundering in his chest and he stared at the destroyed page in awe.

He was alright, a bit anxious from the pumping adrenaline, but alright. The worthless piece of paper was destroyed.

The world didn't end for the second time.

Charon began to laugh, a nervous, slightly manic laugh as he let the ripped halves flutter to the floor. A grin spread across Vizyn's lips and she threw her arms around Charon's shoulders, embracing him and peppering the side of his face with kisses.

The ghoul smiled, slipping an arm around her waist to pull her onto his lap so he could catch her lips in a proper kiss. Vizyn purred, leaning into him and pressing her still bare chest against his black t-shirt.

This was as free as he was going to get, Charon knew. He would always have a contract, but knowing that it would never leave Vizyn's possession sparked a flame of joy in his chest. Never breaking contact, he lay down on the sheets and held Vizyn on top of him, groaning as she shifted to straddle his waist.

He was hers and she was his. Now, that would never change.

**So, obviously I chickened out on writing the smut part…I had one written but it just felt out of place and I felt like it took away from the story. I don't know, sorry for those who were looking forward to it. You can always read the edited Perfect (which so far is looking much better than it initially was, thank God) once that's posted if you're looking for VivixCharon smut.**


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